Lops of Enchantment

There is a lot of controversy in the news these days regarding the “rescue” of animals, especially dogs and rabbits, from reportedly unhealthy living conditions. This is a very emotionally-charged issue. It will be my attempt in this article to insert a modicum of decency and logic into this debate.

One thing is certain; it is unlikely that animal breeders and animal rescuers will ever see eye-to-eye. Each of their individual belief systems spews flames of self-righteousness into their minds and hearts at the slightest hint of this topic being raised. Once self-righteousness takes over communications comes abruptly to an end. There is no room in Dodge for these two gun-slingers. Only one can possibly be right and the other has to go… or at least the scenario seems to go.

Below are some brief outlines of the separate belief systems as it pertains to rabbits:

Rescue Groups: House Rabbit of Society, National Humane Society

• Breeding any animal is bad.
• Caging an animal is bad.
• Selling an animal is bad.
• Raising an animal for food is bad.
• An excessive supply of unwanted pets especially dogs, cats, & rabbits burdens animal shelters and results in a large number of euthanized animals.
• All pet animals should be required to be neutered/spayed and even micro-chipped.
• Rabbits should be able to roam free, have access to an ample supply of feed at all times, and live peacefully with other rabbits in a setting of idyllic bliss.
• Breeder organizations cannot be trusted.

Breeder Groups: American Rabbit Breeders Association - ARBA

• Breeding an animal is good. It provides a complete sense of understanding and knowledge about the animal being raised. Through animal husbandry training children are provided a healthy understanding of animals needs and an understanding of the responsibilities associated with animal care-giving.
• Caging an animal is good. It provides a safe and clean environment to insure the health and well-being of the individual.
• Selling an animal is good. It provides an opportunity to share the love of one has for a particular animal with others. It also provides a flow of resources to the breeder to enable them to afford to provide the best living conditions possible for the animal.
• Raising an animal for food is good. In a world whose food supply is dangerously at risk from mass-production and corporate centralization, it is becoming increasingly important to develop locally grown and raised food to insure a healthy and safe food supply.
• An excessive supply of unwanted pets is not the fault of the breeders. Public education to develop a clear understanding of the responsibilities associated with raising a pet is what is needed. We live in a throw-away society and throw-away pets fall into the same category as throw-away marriages and families. It is a symptom of a greater problem that is not resolved by attacking responsible animal breeders or pet owners.
• Mandatory spay/neutering should be considered only on a case-by-case basis with the well-being of the animal and the responsible nature of the owner taken into consideration.
• The domestic rabbit has never lived in the wild. It is not genetically related to the cotton-tail or jack-rabbit species. It has been domesticated for 1000s of years and only exists today because of man’s efforts to grow and develop the species.
• Rescue groups cannot be trusted.

I recognize that I allowed my biases to affect the lists above. It is difficult to stand on one side of a fence and totally understand the perspective from the other side of the fence. And this is the source of the problem… breeders and rescue groups both feel they are doing what is best for the animal. They both love the animals. They both think their perspective is right. And, as listed in the bullets, they both do not trust the other.

The sad fact is that there are situations where the health of the animals is at risk. The problem is the defining of what “at risk” means. When we willingly set aside our feelings of self-righteousness and openly validate each others opinions we can come to realize that neither group is 100% right. There are severe pet issues that need to be addressed in our society. But there are also legitimate constitutional rights being violated in the name of “rescue” as well. How do we balance the two? How can we eliminate the bad without tramping the constitution into the dirt? How can we “rescue” and maintain due-process at the same time? How can we save bunnies without destroying people’s lives?

In a pressured-charged and divisive society, it is time to come together in all issues of debate. The red and blue divisiveness on a political scale permeates the seeds of self-righteousness in all levels of society. This divisiveness is tearing apart the fabric of our country and destroying all that is good about America. The constitution is tattered and hate permeates our Judeo-Christian upbringing that is supposed to be founded in love.

Which side is right? Where are we headed as a society? Aren’t there more important issues facing us today such as poverty, national health care, and global warming that desperately need the bulk of our resources? Is it right to be at war over the differing opinions how a rabbit should be housed when children around the world are starving and dieing of malaria? Isn’t it time to set aside our differences, set some working standards that are acceptable to both sides and then turn our attention to the really important issues facing our country and planet? We can continue feeding our feelings of self-righteousness and destroy all that is good about our country or we can put our rich resources to work together to build a better tomorrow…. the choice is ours.

Last weekend we attended a rabbit show in Colorado. Our friends who wonder about our rabbit hobby always ask: “Why do you raise rabbits?” The answer, “we attend rabbit shows,” always seems to leave them a bit perplexed. And yet, anyone in the rabbit world who hears the phrase “we were at a rabbit show” immediately understands.

Rabbit shows are where “rabbit people” gather together.

We get up early on a Saturday morning and load the car with our folding chairs, ice chests, and grooming tables along with all the rabbit paraphernalia anyone could imagine. We will have rabbit tee-shirts, rabbit jackets, rabbit earrings, rabbit license plates, and rabbit coffee mugs. There will even be, at times, people wearing rabbit ears or rabbit slippers. We have travel cages, grooming brushes, toe-clippers, tattoo kits, aprons, wagons and carts, and an endless supply of baby wipes. We carry hay, water, feed, litter, and treats. Oh yes, we even, if we’ve remembered to load them in the van, truck, SUV, or car, have rabbits - hundreds of rabbits of all makes, sizes, and colors.

We drive, oftentimes hundreds of miles, to gather in a barn or local fairground. The barn is usually too small, often too cold or too hot, and rarely very well lit. The show usually begins around 8 or 9 in the morning, so those with any distance to drive have had to rise and shine long before there was any shine in the day.

The first activity after arriving, besides a few hugs and handshakes with old friends, is to find a place in the barn to stake out as your own for the next 8 to 10 hours. For shows like the one we attended last weekend where space was at a premium, you strive to arrive early enough so you can find enough room for all the stuff you’ve decided to haul to the show, plus a little leg room and standing space. If you happen to arrive late, ie: 8 am, you will be forced to squeeze your rabbit cages into small, cramp spaces and leave your chairs in the car. The rest of the day is spent walking in, around, and over the maze of cages, chairs, and people.

Once everyone is settled in, the judging begins. There will be 4-6 judges standing behind tables with cages. Rabbits are brought to the table by breed and class so there is a lot of shouting and microphone announcements telling people which breed of rabbit and which class in that breed is being judged by which judges. This “noise” will continue throughout the day as people carry their rabbits to and from the appointed places at the appointed times to be judged by the appointed judges. Winners celebrate and losers ponder.

Throughout the entire day there is chatter. Mostly the talk is about rabbits - people sharing their experiences and challenges with other people who truly understand and know rabbits. As a rabbit breeder most of the time you only have yourself, and if your lucky, a spouse or family member with which to talk rabbits. A rabbit show is a glorious opportunity to discuss a plethora of rabbit topics with those who know such things as what it means to have a rabbit with 3-legs or how the shaded gene affects the Tan or Agouti colors. It is talk craved for and it is this “talk” that is the main attraction for attending a rabbit show.

The other, perhaps, minor purposes for attending a show are: winning (this has negligible benefit as the “prize” other than temporary ego-inflation is rarely worth more than $5); buying and selling of rabbits; vacation/relaxation/fun; spending money; and assessing the quality of your rabbits.

Now that we’ve returned home and put all the rabbit paraphernalia away we muse over what we may have learned; we think about our friends and the issues in their lives; we establish new goals in our breeding program; we make plans for new cages (there are never enough cages); and we dream about the next rabbit show. Our next opportunity for a show is in September, which seems too long to wait. In the meantime, we’ll just have sustain our rabbit desires with time spent cleaning cages, talking to rabbits, reading rabbit journals, catalogs, and participating in Internet discussion groups.  All of this may seem silly to you but it is the life of a rabbit fancier. We love it!

If you attend rabbit shows, what is your favorite part?